Tablet Sales Expected to Breach 285 Million Worldwide Next Year, Samsung and Apple to Lead

Tablet devices have become the norm not for casual reading, some light gaming and the daily dose of entertainment; but for some these devices positioned somewhere between Smartphones and full-fledged computers, are the go to device for official productivity as well. When Apple had started the trend with their iconic iPads (first generation) way back in 2011, eminent writers and tech gurus had termed the trend a fad, which they assumed would simply die its own sweet death.

However the endurance and the underlying public need for a device which provides mobility as well as is capable of handling most tasks initially relegated to the domain of personal computers and laptops, is most evident in the sales success of devices such as the iconic Google Nexus 7, the bestselling iPad series and the myriad tablets on sale by Samsung.

New research by ABI Research suggests that big-name manufacturers will be able to put as many as 285 million tablet devices in circulation during 2014. The research organization does mention that these numbers are worldwide, and they expect the major chunk to belong to Apple and Samsung, whereas the smaller players will also form a part of the overall sales pie. Of the overall figure of 285 million, ABI research expects some 70 million tablet sales to occur in the US itself, which is an impressive figure in itself. They expect Samsung to lead in the US as well with their offerings in 2014.

We had reported earlier that Samsung is apparently increasing its arsenal and wanting a larger share of the tablet market pie. As rumor would have it, Samsung is planning to launch 4 new tablets in the first quarter (January to March) of next year. It can safely be assumed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite (SM-T111) would be among these four new devices. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite aims to be the cheapest Samsung tablet and is expected to be priced at around 100 Euros (approximately 138 USD). Though there is no clarity on which the other three tablets would be, going on the basis of speculation we might finally get to see the much rumored 12.2 inch Samsung Galaxy Note (SM-P900).

If the guys over at ABI Research are to be believed, the upcoming year could very well be the year of tablet devices. Anyways, I will be definitely going in for tablet device next year, what about you? Let us know in the comments below.

My involvement with Android - as a fan and user - started in 2009-10 when I had dual-booted Android 2.2 Froyo on my SE Xperia X1. I have been following the rapid (and much deserved) rise of Android since then and have been rooting and flashing every android phone I could get my hands on. A self-proclaimed tech expert, in my free time I catch up on my reading and play with my one-year-old daughter.